DENIALS – Past Lives (2022)
Family life is something that not a lot of music touches on, but is at the heart of DENIALS’ debut EP Past Lives. While the tracks of the EP touch on familial relationships, there is a larger consideration to the collection as it taps into struggles with mental health, religious exploration, abandonment and the meaning of artistic contentment. As the duo traverses these topics, they infuse their love of post-hardcore into the sound while adding their own unique flair.
After a 6-year hiatus, DENIALS reignited their passion for music during the pandemic as a means of overcoming the hole a lack of creativity had left. Bringing the raw energy of mid-2000s post-hardcore to something that is purely them, the duo offers a wonderful reintroduction to their sound through the EP. Written and recorded in their home studio, the EP was mixed and mastered by Bob Cooper of Chairworks Studios.
The title track ‘Past Lives’ opens the EP from a distance as you reach for a post-hardcore sound that suddenly bursts to life. The music is packed with the passion and energy of the band from the first pushing note. It sends you soaring, only to drop down into the vocals that bring their own punching energy to the track. You can hear a touch of familiarity to the sound, but this is overwhelmed by the band’s own vibes. The chorus is super catchy and will make you want to shout out with the band as the guitars push through you. Not wasting any time, this opening track hits some serious topics, sprinkling religious exploration over a contemplation of relationships. The overlapping of the vocals at times creates a fantastic run of thoughts that cram their way into your brain and vie for attention.
‘Serenity’ pulses with a different energy that gets your heart racing. The vocals bring a new punch to the sound as the pushes stab through the soundscape to apply pressure to the back of your brain. As the vocals and guitars push you through the verses, the chorus offers a softer surround that envelops you with layered vocals. All of this is dropped for the next verse which is a pure burst of rock sensibilities woven around some seriously intense lyrics. There is a stunning dynamism to this track as the music moves through different flows and the vocals ride the higher levels. The pushes of the verses take you to the consideration of the chorus that taps into the cycle we can all easily fall into. This is easily a track that you can blare at top volume on repeat.
The guitars slink through the opening of ‘Sin’ with a rather seductive vibe. The serpentine flow of the melody undulates beneath the vocals that seem to float above the melodic movement. This layering of the sound results in you being caught between the melody and the vocals, held in place by their combined power. The space that you occupy in the single starts to churn as the track progresses, with the vocals and melody pushing against each other. The gap widens when the vocals gain this edge to them, like they are calling to you over a loudspeaker. That churning energy returns as the chorus hits, bringing the flow of emotions with it. While the overall movement of this track is not as pushing, the energy of the band still shines through the undulations of the instrumentation.
The EP comes to a close with ‘Weights’ and its slow building opening. From the depths of silence, a steady line crawls into the light only to rise into a burst of crashing drums. The vocals follow the melodic movement with a slow build feeling that takes you into a perfect post-hardcore vibe. There is a touch of call and response to the vocal’s performance as they work through thoughts and emotions with an aggressive edge. There is a stunning unleashing of emotion through this track that brings a unique sense of catharsis with it. While the lyrics question our ability to carry the weight of our existence, there is a feeling of strength that shines through everything. This is a fantastic way to end the EP and leaves you with the knowledge that you are not alone in feeling the pressures of daily life.
Across the tracks of Past Lives, DENIALS explore heavy themes by setting them to some seriously addictive post-hardcore sounds that sweep through your soul. Each track hits on a different aspect of post-hardcore sound, while adding a little something that is unique to this band. As you are caught in the movement of each track, the overall flow of the album leads you through tough thoughts and emotions to a sense of strength and fulfilment.
Find out more about DENIALS on their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
